


Christmas in Cheltenham

by madamehomesecretary



Category: Bodyguard (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, F/M, Montague Family History
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:34:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28277709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamehomesecretary/pseuds/madamehomesecretary
Summary: Home Secretary Julia Montague is attempting to escape the hustle and bustle of London for the holidays as she goes to spend Christmas with her mother in Cheltenham. The other thing she’s trying to escape? The very obvious feelings she and her Principal Protection Officer seem to be developing for each other.For Laura. Xo.
Relationships: David Budd/Julia Montague
Comments: 19
Kudos: 96





	1. The Assignment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunnyamazing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnyamazing/gifts).



> Hello! Madamehomesecretary is back (and flying solo this time!) for another birthday fic. Because Laura can't very well write her own birthday fic, now can she? I have no idea where this AU came from, but I picked it up and ran with it, and hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> To Laura, my WT and Australian Sista, happy early birthday! I hope you are pleasantly surprised to not have to wait the two extra days for words. I hope this birthday is the start of your best year yet, because you deserve nothing but the best, my wonderful, supportive, and amazing friend. I am so glad these two heart-eyed idiots brought us together, and am even more glad they aren't letting us go anytime soon (or ever). I love you! 
> 
> There are three chapters and I'll be posting one each day through Laura's birthday (which is the 26th in Australia!) so stay tuned. And make sure you leave my girl some birthday love in the comments below! Now, this first chapter is a doozy, so pour yourself your favorite Christmas beverage and carve out some time for some reading, my friends. Xo.

Another Christmas, another boring gala party. Julia Montague wondered if her colleagues  _ truly  _ didn’t have anything better to do with their Christmas Eve other than stand around and blab about things that really didn’t matter at all in the grand scheme of things. 

_ Cockwombles, _ she thought with a huff, glancing over Edwin Jones’ shoulder for the third time since he had managed to corner her for a spirited, albeit one-sided conversation, about a new piece of legislature making its rounds through chambers before the holiday break had occurred. 

At least she thought that was what he was speaking to her about. She had tuned out more than five minutes ago, if she was being honest, only politely nodding and smiling stiffly at all the times she thought it seemed appropriate to do so. 

But instead of thinking about legislation and parliament, Julia’s mind was elsewhere. On her mother, actually, which seemed a bit strange, even to Julia. 

Frances Montague had asked her daughter to come up and stay for Christmas, and Julia had begrudgingly agreed. With her title of Home Secretary and the complicated work load she seemed to be juggling at all times, she knew she didn’t give Frances the attention she should. Their relationship had never been all sunshine and roses, but she was still her mother, after all. And they had come a long way since she was a child. 

So she was leaving first thing in the morning for the drive to  Cheltenham , where her mother lived in a small, rather rustic home. 

Much to Julia’s surprise, Frances had downsized after the death of Julia’s father, Richard, a move that she had not seen coming. Though she couldn’t blame her mother for not wanting to be in the estate she had shared with her father for all of those years once he had finally succumbed to his illness. Cancer. They had watched him waste away in that house for far too long, and honestly, Julia had been glad to see it go. 

But she worried about her mother being alone so often. So when Frances had asked her to stay for a few days, Julia had extended it to a full week. She had cleared her schedule completely, and let all the necessary people know she would be out of the Home Office until the second week in January. Mike Travis could be reached in case of an emergency, per the usual order of things. 

It had been unfortunate timing that shortly after sending out an email to the appropriate audiences about her time away that Roger had cornered her outside of the Houses of Parliament that same afternoon. 

God, she hated him. What she had ever seen in him, she wasn’t sure, though she was sure at some point his stubbornness and dogged determination to get what he wanted had seemed attractive to her. That had faded rather quickly. 

Her mind flitted to her ex-husband and the anger and resentment he still seemed to be carrying toward her since their divorce. It was obvious to her through every power play that he attempted to make that he was still trying to control her. And Julia simply wasn’t going to stand for it. 

Searching discreetly around the room as Edwin continued to drabble on, she recognized almost everyone in attendance, but there was only one pair of eyes that held her gaze when she landed on them. 

Piercing blue eyes that she felt go straight into her soul as she locked eyes with David Budd, her principal protection officer. 

David had been the head of her security team for a little more than two months now, and things seemed to have gotten off to a rather rocky start between them when he first came onto her staff. He clearly didn’t agree with her policies and her stance on most issues, and he had no qualms about being openly vocal about it either. More so than any protection officer should be, she had thought bitterly when they had first crossed paths. 

As she stared into his eyes from across the banquet hall, she swallowed hard. How she could be clear across the room from him and still be so affected by his gaze still baffled her. 

That was part of the problem, Julia thought, finally breaking their intense stare off as she returned her attention to the short, stout man in front of her, still babbling on. But her mind was still on David. 

Things had gone from tumultuous early on in their relationship to something very different over the last couple of months together. There were days she could almost swear that David was openly flirting with her… and she couldn’t deny there were absolutely times when she entertained the idea, and might have even found herself flirting back before she came to her senses. 

She had been taken aback by how handsome David had looked tonight when he arrived at her flat at Overstrand wearing a sharp white tuxedo jacket, a black bow tie and black trousers. The suit was tailored extremely well, clinging to his muscular upper half in all the right places. And she had felt her throat go dry when she answered the door, fumbling with her earrings.

She realized she had been staring at David again as she pulled her gaze away, turning and looking at Edwin as he was clearly asking for her input… on a subject she hadn’t been listening to at all. 

“Don’t you think that’s true, Home Secretary?” Edwin asked, obviously impassioned about whatever point he had been making for the last ten minutes now. 

Julia glanced across the room at David quickly, giving him a slightly panicked look and a barely discernible tilt of her head. That was their discrete signal when she needed David to remove her from a situation, and she knew he had seen it as he made long strides across the room almost instantaneously. 

Turning her attention back to Edwin, she offered him her best politicians' smile, doing her best to navigate the question and stall until she could be saved. 

“Well, Edwin, I believe…” she began, trying to hold back an audible sigh of relief when a familiar Scottish voice interrupted them. 

“Excuse me, sir,” the low, authoritative voice said, his tone clipped and his accent even deeper than usual. “The Home Secretary is needed for a very important briefing,” he offered by way of explanation for his interruption. His eyes met Julia’s and she could tell he wanted to bite back a smile, as she watched his eyes twinkle with a barely discernible bit of mischief. 

“Ah,” she said with a quick nod. “I see. That does sound urgent. Thank you, Sergeant.”

David took a step back, but still stood by closely, as if to let both of them know he wasn’t leaving until she came with him. She turned to Edwin with a slightly put-on air of disdain. 

“The job never ends,” she joked with a chuckle that sounded entirely false to her own ears. She just hoped Edwin bought it. “Thank you, Edwin, for our enlightening conversation. I’ll see you after the holidays. Happy Christmas.” 

And just like that, she was free. 

She thought she might have felt David’s hand lightly resting on the small of her back as they made their way through the crowd with him directing their path toward a less crowded foyer outside of the ballroom. 

She felt her body go warm at his touch, but did her best not to let it show. The velvet, long-sleeved burgundy bodice of her dress clung to her upper body, and she wished she could find somewhere cooler to go. Though, if David was with her (and touching her), she thought ruefully, it wouldn’t matter where she was. 

“Thank you for rescuing me,” she said with a genuine smile, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “I’m not sure I would have ever gotten away on my own.”

David chuckled under his breath.

“Any time, ma’am,” he said matter-of-factly. And he meant it, too. 

David Budd wished he could explain the pull that Julia Montague seemed to have over him. It was certainly more than the role of a principal and her PPO, that much he knew for sure. He had served as the main security detail for a number of visiting foreign dignitaries during their time in London, but he had never felt drawn to any of his female counterparts the way he did with Julia.

“Champagne?” He murmured quietly with a knowing grin as he noticed a waiter carrying a tray of flutes full of the bubbly liquid moving in their direction. 

Julia laughed at his tone. 

“Do I look like I need a drink that badly, P.S. Budd?” She joked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer. 

David stopped the man, reaching for a crystal glass and handing it to Julia. Neither of them spoke for a long minute after their fingers brushed in the exchange of the glass. 

“You’re sure I can’t tempt you?” She asked smartly, arching a brow as she tilted her head toward him with a smirk.

“Sorry?” He asked quickly, his mind flitting through all the scenarios where he had indeed been  _ tempted _ by his principal since being added to her security detail. 

“To a glass of champagne,” she added, her brow furrowing as she clarified. 

“Ah,” he said quickly, chuckling again as he tried to brush off the panic that he had felt creeping into his chest. “No, afraid not. On the job, ma’am.” 

He shifted uncomfortably as she took a sip from her flute, and motioned with an inclination of her head that they should head out onto the veranda. It was a beautiful but chilly night, and he knew Julia loved to get a breath of fresh air at these parties. Plus, it helped her escape from any expectant constituents and other MPs trying to get a moment of her time.

He followed her outside at a close distance, watching the way her formal dress hugged her upper body as she moved. 

His jaw had practically dropped as he arrived at her home earlier in the night, and she had answered the door as she finished putting her earrings in. She was wearing a burgundy evening gown, the top half made of velvet with long sleeves and a plunging v-neckline (showing off just enough tasteful cleavage), and the bottom was a full skirt that flared out and swished as she walked. As David watched her move around her flat gathering her belongings, he noticed a slit that came up dangerously high, exposing a long, coltish leg and a gold stiletto-clad foot. He had swallowed hard and looked desperately around the room for anything else to focus on. 

Talk about temptation.

The truth was, if he was being honest with himself, Julia Montague tempted him far too often for his liking. When he had first been assigned to protect the Home Secretary, he had not been excited about the job. He felt the total opposite, really. 

Julia was known for her conservative politics and her strong stance on military intervention overseas. He’d heard her called every name in the book during his time in Helmand as he and his friends went off to war, fighting for their country. So, he went into the job fully prepared to hate her. To perform the security checks required of him, and to protect her from any sort of visible and non-visible threats that may come her way. And nothing more.

“Do you have any big plans for the holidays, Sergeant Budd?” She asked as the silence settled between them and she took another sip of her champagne, her eyes roaming about the room before she returned her gaze to the man standing in front of her. 

She could hear the buzz of the crowd and the jazz band coming from inside the banquet hall, and honestly, she was grateful for the break that their little escape had granted her. The veranda was filled with a number of people, but David had steered them to a discreet corner away from everyone. They were barely noticeable among the ivy vines that decorated the terrace. 

“No, not this year,” David answered with a little sigh as he met her eyes. “My ex-wife and her bloke took the kids for a trip for the holidays. They’re spending a couple of weeks in Australia, actually.”

Julia frowned. 

“That must be difficult for you,” she said, placing her empty glass down on a tall table next to them. “Not having them here for Christmas,” she added, noticing that David suddenly looked sad. 

“Aye,” he agreed. “But it’s alright. I’ll get them for a while when they get back,” He told her. “And we had an early Christmas this year. Already decorated the tree and gave them their presents and such before they left.”

Julia breathed a sigh of relief as the image of David sitting alone in a drab, undecorated apartment quickly faded away, and was replaced with the image of two small Budd children laughing and playing with their father. 

“It’s already Christmas there, actually,” he said with a little smile, breaking Julia from her vivid imagery. “I facetimed them earlier, and they were spending the day at the beach, having a marvelous time.”

“Ah,” she said with a little smile. “That sounds nice. And warm,” she added with a chuckle, suddenly feeling envious as she shivered slightly.

David was about to say something else when he held his hand to his earpiece, listening carefully. 

“Ah, Mr. Penhaligon is headed our way, ma’am,” he told her, returning to ‘work mode’ and not missing the grimace that crossed her face. 

“Shit,” Julia murmured, suddenly looking cross. When she hadn’t seen him during the first half of the evening, she had breathed a sigh of relief and thought maybe he had decided not to come to the party tonight afterall. No such luck, of course.

David tensed. He didn’t like this. 

He had been by her side earlier in the afternoon when Roger had berated her outside the House of Commons, and he had briefly thought about stepping in. But he knew Julia could hold her own. She didn’t need his help to defend herself from her ex-husband. 

_ “Julia.” _

_ Even the way he said her name even sounded arrogant. David stiffened as he saw Roger, who had obviously been lying in wait outside of the entrance to Westminster. He loathed the pompous man.  _

_ “I saw your latest interview in The Times,” Roger said snidely. “You must be very proud.” _

_ “I have things to do, Roger,” Julia said with an audible sigh. “I’d really like to get into the chamber if that’s alright with you.” _

_ She went to move past him, but Roger sidestepped her, coming into her path again. David tensed, ready to speak up. He hesitated, letting Julia decide how to handle the contemptible man. They had established a signal early on that let him know when she wanted him to step in. And she had yet to give it.  _

_ “Why aren’t you returning my calls?” He asked, lowering his voice as his gaze moved to David before returning back to Julia. “I’m the fucking Chief Whip, and when I call, you answer.” _

_ “Roger, can you fuck off? I have a rather extensive to-do list before I leave for the holidays,” Julia said flatly, her tone dropping as she rolled her eyes. _

_ “So, it’s true then,” Roger said snidely. “You’re really sacking off for two full weeks, then?”  _

_ Julia glared at him.  _

_ “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m going to visit my mother,” she said angrily. “I believe you and the PM can survive without me for a few days, can’t you?”  _

_ Roger scoffed.  _

_ “It will be nice to get you away from the media,” he reassured her. “We claim the center ground, but you’re running off-piste. Don’t think that Vosler hasn’t noticed, Julia.” _

_ “The PM can count on my full support,” Julia gritted out, already feeling utterly exhausted by their exchange.  _

_ “Bullshit,” Roger argued. “He’s weakened. You’re making a move for the leadership.”  _

_ Julia laughed at that. _

_ “Trust me, if I was doing what you’re accusing me of, you would know it.” She paused, turning to look back at David, before leaning in close to Roger. “And I would succeed, too.”  _

_ She straightened, pulling in her ministerial case closer to her body.  _

_ “Happy Christmas, Roger,” she said, pasting on a fake smile before turning and walking away. _

_ Roger’s angry stare landed on David, who offered him a little shrug and a smirk at Julia’s rebuttal.  _

_ “Cheers, mate,” he offered, before turning and following Julia into the building as the principal turned to look back at him. _

_ “Well done, ma’am,” he said, offering her a wide grin as Julia laughed.  _

_ Yes, she liked having David around, she thought to herself as they walked toward the chamber together in silence, Julia feeling rather triumphant. _

As the french doors opened, Julia was grateful for the number of party stragglers still gathered on the veranda. She didn’t really have the energy to deal with Roger twice in one day, and she had no doubt he would make a disastrous scene when he did finally find her. His wounds from their verbal sparring earlier in the day were probably still smarting.

David turned to face her, making sure she was okay. 

“Ma’am?” He asked, scanning her face for any sort of sign of how she was feeling. He wasn’t sure how he could get them out of the venue without being seen by Roger, but he was willing to try if that’s what Julia wanted. 

Julia was staring over his shoulder, grateful for the fact she and David had moved further into the corner when they did. She was a much less obvious target here. She could see Roger scanning the crowd, searching for her, she was sure. And she felt her stomach drop. 

She knew there was no way to leave the veranda without being spotted, and she quickly ran through a few other options in her head.

“Kiss me,” she murmured under her breath, and David’s eyes widened as he whipped his head around to look at her, sure he had heard her incorrectly.

“What?” He said in surprise, not bothering to hide his shocked expression as he completely forgot about Roger Penhaligon’s presence, taken aback by her request. 

“I don’t want Roger to see me,” she blurted out quickly, her eyes traveling behind David again as she watched her ex-husband scan the crowd. She could tell from his tense stance and scathing expression that he was looking to start a fight, and she wasn’t going to entertain him with another chance to berate her. Especially not here.

“I need you to kiss me so that Roger doesn’t notice us over here,” she added quickly, turning her attention back to David, who was now staring at her, his expression giving nothing away as he glanced down at her lips that were painted a deep shade of scarlet.

Without any more hesitation, David leaned forward, pressing his lips against her own. Closing her eyes and reaching out blindly, Julia pulled his wire from his ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. Feeling David lean into her, she arched her back in response, allowing herself to melt into the kiss. Her mind was going a million different places at once, but all she could really register was the feel of David’s mouth on hers as they moved together, both completely forgetting about the charade they had been putting on. 

Slipping her tongue out from her painted mouth, she ran it across his bottom lip, grinning widely as she heard him groan in response, Roger all but forgotten. 

David’s hands were on her waist as he gripped her closer to him, determined not to let her go. 

Julia ran her fingers through his perfectly coiffed hair, wishing appearances didn’t matter as she wanted nothing more than to muss up his curls and see a side of David Budd that she hadn’t been allowed to see before. 

The hand still gripping his neck grasped him tighter, her fingers running across the sensitive skin at his nape. She could feel the goosebumps raise up on his skin, and she was grateful for the correct choice of undergarments under her dress that would keep him from noticing how aroused she was becoming with their kiss. 

She had allowed herself to think about kissing David before. She had thought about doing other things with him, too; including having a dream or two where she had woken up with the very vivid image of her PPO wedged between her thighs. But this … was better than she could have imagined. And she wondered why she had been resisting it for so long. 

Realistically, she knew why, but as his palm grasped at her back, pulling her upper body further into him, and he nipped at her lips playfully, she was grasping at straws for how she had held him off for this long, and how they would return to that again after tonight. 

When they finally parted, desperate for air, Julia looked around to make sure they hadn’t been seen. Most everyone had gone back into the party, and she was relieved that not a single remaining person seemed to be looking their way. Roger seemed to be long gone. 

Turning back to David, she stifled a laugh behind her hand. Half of her lipstick had ended up on David’s face. Reaching into her clutch, she pulled out a tissue, offering it to him with a smirk. 

“You have … a little something on your face,” she teased, trying to even out her breathing and not focus on what had just happened between them. She was quite literally trying to think of  _ anything _ else. 

David furrowed his brow, giving her a puzzled look. 

“Lipstick,” she offered, wiping her own mouth with another tissue as she tried (without much success) to keep a straight face. 

Pulling out her phone, she glanced at her reflection, hoping she didn’t look as uncomposed as she currently felt after that kiss. She wasn’t faring much better than David, and bit her lip as she reached into her bag to fish out and reapply her lipstick, feeling David’s eyes on her as she did so. 

Glancing down at her watch, she looked around. 

“Do you think we can get away with leaving early?” She murmured, lowering her voice conspiratorially. Afterall, it was Christmas Eve. And she very much did not want to still be here. 

“I’d like to go home,” she said. “I’m tired.”

David cleared his throat, trying his best to return to his professional persona as he popped his earpiece back in, listening for a moment to make sure he hadn’t missed anything during their … act. 

“I’ll arrange for the car to come around, ma’am,” he said, his voice somehow calm despite his racing heart. 

What the bloody hell had that been?

“All clear, ma’am,” David said professionally, watching where Julia pushed away from the wall to enter her flat after his security checks had been completed. She had already removed her heels and was grasping them in one hand as she waited, scrolling through her phone with the other, desperately looking for a distraction.

He remembered a time not that long ago when Julia had been properly annoyed with his thoroughness. Even being as straightforward as to ask him to fuck off the the very first day they had met. 

The memory made him smile softly. They had come a long way since then, and he had to admit he felt a certain sense of pride for getting Julia to come around. He had heard horror stories from guys on the force who had been a part of her security detail in the past. But watching Julia stride past him into the kitchen, her long, burgundy gown swishing in the silence of her flat, he couldn’t help but think that he was beginning to  _ like _ Julia Montague. 

He froze at the thought, trying to redirect his attention to anywhere but thinking about that. He wondered if she had caught onto his internal struggle when she looked up at him, their eyes meeting from across the kitchen as she poured herself a glass of white wine. 

“Can I interest you in a drink, Sergeant?” She asked slowly, her eyes never leaving his as she raised her own glass of practically clear, bubbly liquid to her lips, taking a long sip from the crystal stemware. 

David shook his head shyly, breaking their gaze and looking down at the ground. 

“On duty, ma’am,” He reminded her for the second time that night, and Julia’s lips parted as she nodded in understanding. 

“And when are you  _ not _ on duty, Sergeant?” She asked, her eyes sparkling as her voice took on a teasing tone. “I don’t think your boss would like how eager you were to kiss me tonight, P.S. Budd,” she said slowly, her voice dripping with something David might identify as a seductive tone. If she weren’t his boss, of course.

He swallowed hard, feeling his cheeks flush. 

_ Since when the hell did he actually blush? _ He cleared his throat rather awkwardly, trying his best to cover a chuckle. 

“I was just doing what my principal asked, ma’am,” he replied matter-of-factly, enjoying the little game they were playing far more than he should be. “I certainly didn’t hear any complaints with my  _ assignment _ .”

Julia smirked, relieved at the playful undertone David’s words held. Corking the rest of her wine and picking her glass up, she made her way into the living room, intentionally brushing past David as their shoulders touched for a brief moment. 

“No, you certainly didn’t,” she agreed, going over to her sound system and pressing a few buttons until the soft sounds of Christmas jazz filled the flat. David thought he recognized the tune of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, but quickly grew distracted as he watched Julia sway to the music slightly. 

David watched her intently, unsure of where they went from here. He wasn’t sure if he should excuse himself for the evening, or if Julia wanted him to stay. He knew they were toeing a dangerous line, but he couldn’t help but feel as if something was shifting between them tonight. Like they might not be able to go back to what they were before.

David moved further into the room, leaning against the door frame between her study and her living room, watching her as she moved about the spacious, decorated room. 

“You look beautiful tonight, ma’am,” he said, the compliment slipping out before he could debate how it would be received, or if it was appropriate.

Julia turned to face him, suddenly beaming at the unexpected flattery. She held an arm out in mock display and gave a little shrug.

“It’s borrowed,” she said, suddenly feeling flustered as she watched his eyes roam her figure not-so-discreetly. She felt her body growing warm under his penetrating gaze, and she bit down on the inside of her bottom lip. 

“What?” David asked in confusion, suddenly registering what she said as his eyes returned to her face, and Julia chuckled under her breath. 

“The dress,” Julia clarified, taking another sip from her wine. “It’s borrowed. I don’t have a closet full of things like this,” she told him quickly, and David’s confusion turned to smile at her feeling the need to clarify. 

“You should buy it,” he told her matter-of-factly. “It was made for you to wear,” he said charmingly, but still truthfully. He was lucky it was his job to watch her. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her all night.

He watched as her gaze met his, her smirk growing more mischievous as she seemed to realize something he hadn’t during their conversation.

“Oh, Sergeant,” Julia said slowly, taking another sip from her glass. “I’m afraid you’re dead center.”

“What?” David asked in confusion, his brow furrowing. His eyes followed Julia’s gaze as she looked above his head, and he felt a chuckle spill from his lips before he could stop it. 

_ Mistletoe.  _

“Ah,” David said, the sudden realization dawning on him. “I see,” he said, biting back a grin. He was paid to be observant, but had had to admit, he hadn’t noticed that being there before. 

“We wouldn’t want to break tradition, now would we? Julia asked, draining the rest of her wine glass before she placed it down on the coffee table. She could feel herself buzzing slightly from the sudden rush of added alcohol in her system, and she knew that part of her boldness tonight could be attributed to the bubbles she was feeling from multiple drinks. 

David felt himself warming under her stare as he flashed back to their kiss at the gala. 

“No, we certainly wouldn’t want that,” he agreed demurely, his gaze never leaving hers. He was sure she was thinking about the same thing. 

“Stay there,” Julia instructed, taking a step forward, and then another, making her way across the room to where David stood under the beam that separated the two rooms. 

“Aye,” he said, his voice suddenly feeling thicker than it had been before as he anticipated her next move as she came to stand in front of him, her hands clasped in front of her body as she toyed with the signet ring on her pinky. 

“Did you know it's bad luck to refuse a kiss beneath this silly little thing?” Julia asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked up at the green sprig her decorator had insisted on putting up, despite her protests. She hadn’t thought much about it being there since their lively debate a few weeks earlier. 

“I didn’t,” David said, shaking his head. “But I certainly don’t want any bad luck for Christmas, do you?”

“No, certainly not,” Julia murmured as her eyes locked on him after she caught him staring at her lips again for the umpeenth time that night. 

Reaching out, she grabbed him by the lapels of his tuxedo jacket, pulling him closer to her where they both hovered with their mouths close together but not touching. Leaning forward, she felt her stomach begin to do little flip-flops of anticipation as she waited to feel David’s lips against hers again, hesitating as she silently asked him to make the first move.

She wasn’t disappointed as he met her halfway, his lips pressing against hers gently as she wrapped her arms around his neck again, deepening the kiss rather quickly. She sighed against his open mouth, closing her eyes as she felt his hands come to rest around her waist, pulling her into his body again. It was practically like they fit together like puzzle pieces. 

She could feel the warmth of his palms through the bodice of her dress, and she surprised even herself as a whimper slipped from her lips. She felt David grin against her mouth at the noise, and her cheeks flushed a deep pink, though she wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or the arousal that was suddenly consuming her body. Maybe a bit of both. 

Pressing her upper body firmly against his, David wrapped his arms tighter around her, his fingers brushing against the velvet of her dress as his hands skimmed up and down her back. Letting his tongue sneak from between his lips as she had earlier, he teased her mouth, licking at her bottom lip slowly and torturously. 

Julia’s mouth opened without hesitation, her own tongue coming out to toy with his fervently. 

Bringing his hand to the front of her body, he brushed against her breast through the material of her dress, his grin widening as he felt her hiss against his mouth, her body arching into his. Brushing his fingers against her collarbone, he was so tempted to dip his hand beneath the fabric covering her chest, suddenly feeling much bolder than he had earlier in the night. 

Julia’s body was ablaze with the feel of David’s touch on her skin, and his mouth on hers. Somewhere in the back of her brain, she knew this was a horrible idea. That she shouldn’t be kissing her PPO. That if anyone found out, it would be disastrous for both of them. 

But she also couldn’t deny it had been a long time since a man had just wanted her for her. No political agenda, and no ulterior motives. He just wanted to be with her. And she couldn’t help but think that maybe she wouldn’t mind a single night -- just one -- with a man who was clearly  _ very _ attracted to her. 

There had been prospects, of course. 

Rob McDonald was still buzzing around her like an annoying bumblebee. That was a  _ definite _ no. And she had met a few men that she wouldn’t have minded taking home with her at different social functions over the last year, but they never seemed to work out once they placed who she was and her role in the government. 

God, David’s lips felt good on hers. 

She let her mind flit through the possible options of what could happen next. She could stop things here and ask David to leave before they crossed a line that they couldn’t come back from, which is what she should do;  _ or _ she could pretend the handsome Scot with roaming hands  _ wasn’t _ her principal protection officer and take him to her bed, giving them both what they so clearly wanted, which is very much what she wanted to do. 

David had moved his attention from her mouth to making a trail down her jawline and onto her neck with open mouthed kisses. She bit down on her lip, a moan slipping from her mouth. 

Things were quickly progressing, neither of them thinking about consequences anymore when David’s radio crackled to life in his ear, suddenly causing him to jump back from Julia as if he had been burned. Her eyes widened in alarm, watching him with obvious concern at the sudden change in him. 

“R-radio,” he mumbled, feeling his heart racing in his chest. For the briefest moment, it had sounded as if Tom had been right there in the same room with them, instead of waiting downstairs in the backup vehicle. 

Trying to even out his breathing before he responded, he closed his eyes to collect himself, before opening them again to stare at Julia. 

“W-what was that, Tom?” He stammered, speaking into his earpiece as his eyes never left the gorgeous woman standing in front of him. She was obviously affected by their tryst, as well, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. 

“I asked what’s taking so bloody long, Skip?” Tom said again, sounding agitated. “It’s Christmas Eve,” he reminded him. “Some of us want to get home.”

David cursed under his breath. 

“I’ll be down in just a moment,” he said flatly. “The Home Secretary and I are just finalizing her travel plans for tomorrow,” he lied easily, thinking of the excuse quickly. 

“Sorry, mate,” he added as an afterthought.

Julia shifted, noticing the arousal that had pooled between her legs during their kiss. She frowned, realizing that tonight wasn’t happening. She had to admit she was a bit disappointed. 

She had been prepared to throw caution to the wind, to see what David could do, and to deal with the consequences later. 

He turned his attention back to her.

“I should be going,” he said quietly, and Julia thought she might have heard a note of disappointment in his voice, as well. At least she hoped that’s what it was. “They’re waiting for me downstairs.”

Julia nodded quickly, doing her best to cover her feelings, toying with the ring on her pinky again. 

“Of course,” she agreed, even though it was the furthest thing from what she wanted. She briefly thought about inviting him back, to get him to sneak in at the change of guard and for them to still have their night together. But the interruption had sobered her carefree thoughts. 

No, it was better this way. Maybe that interruption was needed to remind her what a bad idea tonight would have been. 

“I’ll be away for a week in Cheltenham,” she reminded him, crossing her arms over her chest, almost as if she was protecting herself from his charm with her defensive stance. “I’ll return to London at the end of next week, but won’t go back into the Home Office until the eleventh,” she reminded him, then caught herself, giving a self-conscious laugh. 

“But, of course, you already know all that,” she said, suddenly feeling silly for reminding him of the plans he had helped put into place. 

David offered her a gentle smile. 

“I do,” he agreed. “Kim will be here in the morning to collect you for your trip. You’ll have a motor detail on the way out of town, but she’ll be the only one staying with you at your mother’s… Are you still alright with that?” He asked, making a mental note to confirm the plan with Kim before he signed off for the evening. 

Julia nodded wordlessly. 

“Alright,” he said, nodding before turning to walk to the door. “Have a good evening, ma’am,” he said politely, trying not to let on that a week felt like far too long to be away from her when he was used to spending so much time with her. 

He paused at the door, turning back to look at her. 

“I hope you enjoy your trip,” he said with a slight nod, the moment broken between them. 

He had started to go, when Julia stopped him. 

“David?” She asked, suddenly sounding very vulnerable, and he turned to look at her, his brow furrowed. 

“Happy Christmas,” she murmured with a smile, leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek before she could stop herself. “I’ll see you soon.”

He nodded in agreement, flashing her a smile before he left her flat, hearing the lock slide into place behind him as he hesitated in the stairwell for a moment. He smiled to himself, thinking about the kiss as he pulled his tissue from earlier from his pocket, wiping it against his mouth and his cheek to get rid of the evidence before he headed downstairs, still thinking about Julia and their almost night together.

_ \- The Next Morning -  _

Julia cursed under her breath as she slipped on her heels. Nothing had gone right this morning. She had overslept, and when she pulled out the cream colored sweater she was planning to wear today, she had realized it had an obnoxious stain right down the front. She didn’t remember that being there before, and made a note to send it off the cleaners as soon as she returned next week. 

She frowned. What the hell was she going to wear then? Frances Montague expected nothing but perfection from her daughter, that much Julia knew for certain. She always had.

So, Julia had scrambled to find something else to wear to her mother’s home for Christmas dinner, finally settling on a mid-length emerald and black skirt she had shoved to the back of her closet a few years ago, and a black blouse with a bow that tied loosely at the neck. 

Tucking the shirt in and glancing at herself in the mirror, she ran her fingers through her curls, hoping to settle them into loose waves. Grateful she had packed her bags the night before, she poured herself some coffee into one of her favorite travel mugs, and barely avoided disaster as a knock at the door made her jump. 

“Shit! Just a minute, Kim!” she called out, putting the lid on her mug and hurrying toward the door. Setting it down so that she had a free hand, she sighed. What else could this day possibly throw at her?

Going to open the door, she pasted on a smile, determined not to ruin the day with her sour mood. She was sure she and Kim would have a lovely week in Cheltenham. 

However, the surprise was on her when she opened the door to find David Budd on the other side. 

“Sergeant,” she said in surprise, her eyes widening. “What are you doing here?” she asked in confusion, and David chuckled. 

“Happy Christmas to you, too, Julia,” he said with a grin, and she felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment at her rudeness. 

“Oh! Merry Christmas,” she said with a little smile, feeling her belly fill with a bunch of tiny little butterflies at his unexpected appearance. “Forgive my rudeness,” she said, her cheeks still warm. “I just wasn’t expecting you. I thought you would be Kim.” 

“Kim had something come up at the last minute, ma’am,” he offered. “Everything is fine,” he added reassuringly. “Just a family situation… Would it be alright if I accompanied you to Cheltenham instead?” He asked, never having thought about the fact she might shoot him down. 

If she had even the slightest ounce of regret from last night, he would never forgive himself. And he knew if that was the case, he could basically kiss his job goodbye. He waited for her answer, feeling like her silence was stretching on forever. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head. 

“Ma’am?” He asked again, stepping forward and reaching for her arm to get her attention. 

Julia looked up, obviously surprised she had zoned out the way she had. She gave a nervous laugh. 

“Yes, Sergeant,” she agreed. “That will be fine. Let me just grab my bag…”

David moved past her and grabbed the suitcase that was waiting by the door. 

“I’ve got it,” he said with a smile, his lilting accent causing her butterfly friends to return. 

“We better get going,” he said, glancing at his watch. “Traffic getting out of the city will be horrible today.”

The car ride to Cheltenham was comfortable as they listened to a bit of soft Christmas music on the radio. 

“Surely spending Christmas with me and my mother is not what you had planned for your holiday, children or not, Sergeant,” Julia said with a little grin before she turned to look at the scenery passing by. 

“Oh, I don’t know,” David said with a little shrug, his eyes briefly glancing back at the armored car that followed them down the motorway. “It’s not like I had a lot planned with Ella and Charlie being gone.”

“I take it Father Christmas didn’t visit your flat overnight then?” She teased, turning back to look at him, as they both laughed. 

“No, I can’t say he did,” he said, his eyes returning to the road. “Though I might have had a slice of mince pie out of habit,” he admitted, causing the corner of Julia’s lips to turn up into a smile. 

“My parents always used to leave Father Christmas a glass of sherry when I was growing up,” she offered. “A way to keep him warm on a long, cold Christmas Eve, my father told me.” 

David’s curiosity was piqued. He had never heard Julia speak of her childhood growing up. In fact, he knew next to nothing about the woman they were planning to spend the week with, and thought that should be rectified.

“Was Christmas a big deal in your house?” He asked.

Julia shook her head quickly. 

“Oh, no,” she said, glancing out the window again as they passed a few little towns she recognized. “At least not as a family. But socially … that was different. My mother always had our home professionally decorated for the holidays. My father would have a Christmas party for his colleagues from the law firm at our home the Sunday before Christmas, but for the holiday … well, it was just us.” 

David nodded, but realized Julia was lost in thought as he made a little noise of agreement. 

“I see,” he said, taking a glimpse at her before turning his attention back to the road. 

“Were you close with your parents growing up?” He asked curiously, feeling like he was really finally getting to know the personal side of Julia. Not the United Kingdom’s Home Secretary. Just Julia.  “My father and I were,” she said quietly, thinking of Richard with fondness. “Always thick as thieves, my mother used to say. I think she was a bit jealous of how close we were when I was a child, though she never said so.”

“My mother….” Julia paused. “She always expected great things from me,” she gave David a sidelong glance as he let out a little noise of amusement. “I know, I know, obviously, I did well with her expectations. But that’s a lot of pressure to put on a child.”

“Aye.”

“I suppose she felt a lot of that pressure herself, being the wife of a prominent lawyer in Cheltenham,” she said sadly. “It was a lot of socializing and high society dinners… We weren’t really close until I got much older. My father was in failing health, and it was just the two of us… so we were drawn together by his illness.”

David frowned. 

“Julia, I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I didn’t know…”

She shrugged, turning her body toward David and curling her leg underneath her as she popped her heels off into the floorboard. 

“It’s alright,” she reassured him. “I’m no worse off for it…” She chewed at her bottom lip, watching David’s side profile as he drove them through the curving country roads. 

“Tell me, what was a Budd family Christmas like?” She asked curiously. “I can imagine it being rather jovial... and large… Am I right?” 

David laughed at that, a smile pulling at his features. 

“How did you know?”

“Just a lucky guess,” Julia said, wrinkling her nose. 

“Aye, every year was the same thing. My mum and dad and I would spend Christmas Eve decorating and wrapping presents before midnight mass,” he said, reflecting on his Christmas memories from the past. “We would come home, leave Santa a mince pie and a whisky and go to bed.”

“Whisky… Sherry… I think our parents had the right idea,” Julia said with a short nod. “And on Christmas Day?” 

“Oh, the house would be filled with people all day long. Cousins and aunts and grandparents, there were years it was so crowded you could barely move without bumpin’ into someone. But we’d all sing carols, and the kids would show off their new toys they’d gotten for Christmas, then we’d have Christmas lunch. It really was an all day affair.”

He glanced over at her with a gentle smile as he saw her lost in thought. The two of them really couldn’t be more different in any way, he reflected as he turned his attention back to the road. 

They rode along in silence for a few minutes before David spoke again. 

“Your mum gonna like me?” He asked, noticing they were getting close to their destination. 

“Oh, she’ll hate you at first,” she warned him, trying her best to keep a serious expression, and David frowned, suddenly feeling worried. 

“Don’t worry, Sergeant,” Julia said, sensing the change in energy in the car. “I’m sure she’ll come around quickly.”

“Like mother, like daughter, aye?” David mumbled under his breath, and Julia smirked, pretending not to hear him as she started recognizing familiar landmarks. 


	2. A Midnight Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Julia meet in Frances' kitchen at midnight.

Julia had been partially correct. As she approached her mother, offering her a hug, she watched as Frances Montague’s gaze fell to David who was standing back, waiting for an introduction. Looking back at Julia, Frances raised a brow slightly, questioning her daughter without saying a word. 

In response, Julia only shook her head curtly, signaling that her mother cut out whatever questionable behavior she was thinking of showing in front of their guest. 

“Hello, Mother,” Julia said with a stiff smile, praying that Frances would be well-behaved and not embarrass her in front of David. 

“Hello, darling,” the older, graying woman responded, still obviously puzzled by the appearance of the handsome man with her daughter.

“Mum, this is Sergeant David Budd, the head of my security team,” Julia said flatly. “David is my Principal Protection Officer.” 

Frances fully turned her attention to the Scotsman for the first time, as David stepped forward, offering the woman his hand in greeting. 

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” he said with a smile that Julia could tell wasn’t entirely genuine. She wanted to tease him. To ask him if he was nervous to meet her mother, but this hardly seemed like the time or place. 

“Glasgow?” Frances asked suddenly, her ears perking up at his accent, and David nodded, suddenly looking a bit more at ease. 

“Yes, born and raised,” he answered, and Frances nodded knowingly. 

“I don’t know if Julia told you, but my husband was a barrister,” she said, her eyes lighting up at the mention of her late husband. “Richard and I traveled quite a bit for his work,” she said. “Glasgow is lovely.”

It was David’s turn to smile. And this time, Julia thought it might have been real. 

“Aye,” he agreed. “I quite like it. My parents are still there, and I go visit them as often as I can.”

“I hope Julia allows you to get away from time to time,” Frances said, lowering her voice and leaning forward conspiratorially. “She can be difficult at the best of times,” she said, fully aware that her daughter was standing right beside her. 

David’s eyes met Julia’s as he bit back a laugh before his attention returned to her mother. He could see where Julia got her fiery spirit from, and he quite liked getting to know the elder Montague. 

“Mother!” Julia responded, her eyes wide, as she shook her head in disbelief, causing Frances and David both to chuckle. 

Julia rolled her eyes as Frances sidled over to David, looping her arm through his. 

“Now, David, I am sorry that you have to be away from your family for the holidays,” Julia heard Frances say as she watched them start to walk toward the house. “But I’m glad that you’re here to protect my daughter, if the need so arises. You seem very capable… And I’ve fixed quite a bit of food for the holiday. So I’m even more glad you’re here to help us eat it.” 

“Unbelievable,” Julia murmured under her breath as she saw David look back at her with a slightly panicked look in his eye before the three of them entered the house together, with Julia still trailing behind the pair.

“We’ll eat in an hour, you two,” Frances instructed, ever the organized hostess that Julia remembered from her childhood. “Go freshen up for a bit, and I’ll see you in the dining room.”

Julia should have admonished her mother, and reminded her that David was here to work, he wasn’t a social guest that she could boss around like another one of her party-goers. But she could hardly deny that she hadn’t seen Frances act this way since before her father had gotten very sick. And she was quite enjoying it, if she was being honest. 

Julia wandered into the kitchen, feeling particularly hungry for something to eat after the Christmas dinner Frances had fed them some hours ago. It had been a polite dinner, which Julia had been thankful for, as Frances had seemed to somewhat reign in her open interest in David. 

Well, as much as a mother with a very nosey nose could reign it in. Much to Julia’s chagrin, there was no private eye in London that could measure up to Frances Montague’s keen observation skills. 

They had eaten from the festive spread Frances had laid out before them, making conversation in the awkward silences between mouthfuls of food. Then they had shared an evening drink in the parlor before everyone retreated to their own rooms for the night, and Julia was grateful to finally escape her mother’s ever-watchful eyes. 

Frances had inquired about David once he had left the room, and what it was that Julia’s relationship was with him, but she had brushed it off quickly, assuring her mother their relationship was nothing more than that of a work relationship. She had been relieved when David re-entered the room, and Frances had changed the subject, inquiring about Charlie and Ella, who David had received a call from just a few moments earlier. 

Julia had breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe if she could just keep telling her mother David was nothing more than her PPO, she would begin to believe it, too. However, she was finding it increasingly more difficult not to think about what had happened (and almost happened) between them in the last two days. 

Things seemed easy between them. What used to be awkward pauses and long moments of silence when David was first employed had turned into genial conversation and much more comfortable silent periods between them. But she brushed that thought aside, too, trying her best to focus on the task at hand: finding food. 

She had been up for a few hours, reading one of her old favorite books she had found on the bookshelf in her room. It was a children’s book, and something she wouldn’t have thought of for ages until she saw it lying there among stacks of other books from her past. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. She could remember reading it cover to cover when she was a child, and when it ended, she would start it all over again, getting lost in the pages.

Stopping in the doorway, she was surprised to see a figure already standing in front of the refrigerator, the bright light casting a glow around their figure. And Julia was sure she would know that figure anywhere. 

Strong, broad shoulders. Muscled arms. A tense stance as he stared into the light. 

She smiled, despite herself. She had been unsure how this trip was going to go when she found out David was coming with her to visit her mother instead of Kim. But it all seemed to be going well, so far, at least. 

Taking in his form again, Julia thought back to the gala the previous night, and the way David had kissed her — both on the veranda, and then again her flat at Overstrand — and how it had felt to be wrapped up in the strong arms she was currently focused on. 

Okay. So there was definitely something happening, she finally conceded to herself, determined not to admit to her mother that she had been correct. But whatever it was that was going on … both of them seemed powerless to stop it. And did she even really want to stop it?

She had asked herself that often in the last 24 hours, but she had yet to figure out an answer. It was true that she had caught David staring at her for a moment longer than he meant to on more than one occasion today, and despite being caught red-handed, he would always glance away quickly when she caught him looking. 

But that doesn’t mean anything, Julia tried to tell herself. 

_ He’s your PPO. His bloody job is to watch you.  _

But it wasn’t his job to  _ kiss _ her, she reasoned. In fact, it was far from that. But it  _ had _ still happened. Twice. Julia couldn’t allow herself to think about things almost going further in her flat before they had been interrupted last night. 

She also couldn’t think about how much she had wanted him, or the fact that if he would have led her to her bed and began to undress her, his end game obvious, she would have let him, her job title and his role be damned. 

She let her eyes sweep across his broad shoulders, noticing the way his black t-shirt seemed to hug each curve of his body deliciously. Thoughts of her fingers trailing along hard, toned muscle appeared in her head unannounced, and she felt her cheeks flush a furious shade of pink. 

Realizing she had been staring for far too long, she cleared her throat, watching as David jumped, whirling around to face the unexpected intruder who had interrupted his current decision-making process. 

When he saw it was Julia, he breathed a sigh of relief. While his thoughts of Julia lately had seemed to take a less-than-professional route, he wasn’t sure he wanted to face Frances Montague alone in her kitchen, without the watchful eye of her daughter present. He could tell Frances was interested in finding out more about his relationship with Julia … or the lackthereof that he was supposed to have. And that wasn’t quite a conversation that he was ready to have with anyone, much less the kind, but intimidating Frances Montague. So he was relieved when he realized it was the younger of the two Montague women. 

“You know, no matter how long you stare, no new food will appear,” Julia teased. “I didn’t mean to startle you, Sergeant,” she added, offering him a subdued smile. 

“I seem to have been a bit too absorbed in my choice of food to hear you sneaking up on me,” he admitted with a chuckle. “Were you hungry after dinner, too?” He asked smartly, watching as Julia nodded. 

Her current appearance certainly had to be the most relaxed he had seen her in all of his time as her PPO. It was rare he saw her in anything other than a smart business suit, with the exception of the burgundy gown she had worn for their Christmas Eve gala last night. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to think about something else, and as he opened them again, he found her staring at him curiously. Her hair was pulled back into a low bun, sitting at the nape of her neck, while she was dressed in a pair of navy blue silk pajama pants. She was wearing an oatmeal colored Henley top, which clung to her body a bit tighter than he would have expected. As his gaze swept over her, he found himself wondering if she was wearing a bra, before admonishing his brain for even going there. 

_ Stop. Just stop. _

She took a few steps forward, coming to stand behind him at the fridge, both of them not speaking. 

“May I suggest the Camembert?” Julia said with a little smile, peeking her head around his shoulder to examine the contents of her mother’s fridge. “It’s one of my favorites, and my mother always buys it when I come to visit.” 

David tried his best to focus on the items in the fridge, and to not focus on Julia’s close proximity. He could smell her perfume from where they stood so close together, and he found himself thinking that he quite liked the slight floral scent of it. Jo Malone, he thought, recalling a bottle of perfume he had seen on her dressing table in her bedroom not too long ago. 

Finally spotting the round, wooden box, he reached for it and turned, handing to Julia. She flashed a brilliant smile at him, and he felt his heart lurch wildly in his chest at the feelings it invoked in him at that precise moment. 

“I’ll get this going,” she said, turning to the marble island behind her and beginning to unwrap the wheel of cheese. “You can get the crackers from the pantry,” she instructed, nodding her head to the right to indicate a small walk-in pantry located off the kitchen.

David nodded, walking over and beginning to browse the products on the shelves. 

“What am I looking for?” He called out, peeking his head out of the small space to look at Julia expectantly. “Which crackers are the right ones?”

“Up to you,” she said with a little smile, returning to her work. David watched as she pulled a few spices from the cabinet, and the bottle of white wine they had had with dinner from the fridge. Slicing through the top of the rind and pouring a bit of honey over the cheese, she seemed satisfied with her work and placed an herb mixture on top. 

As she turned to reach for a sprig of rosemary, she caught David’s eye, her brow furrowing. 

“Everything alright, Sergeant?” She asked, the corner of her mouth turning up into a satisfied smirk, as she had caught him openly staring at her in the doorway. 

“What?” He asked in confusion, and his face flushing as he realized he had been caught. He chuckled. “Sorry, crackers,” he mumbled under his breath, beating himself up at being so obvious as he returned his attention to the pantry. 

He appeared a few moments later, an orange box of  Jacobs Cream Crackers in his hand. Holding them up to show Julia he had accomplished his task, and asking for her approval, he felt satisfied with himself as she nodded. 

“Well done, you,” she teased before going quiet, the silence between them stretching on comfortably. 

Her eyes returned to her task at hand.

“May I interest you in a glass of wine, Sergeant?” She asked, turning and teaching for a crystal glass herself. 

“David,” he corrected her and Julia looked up in surprise. “When it’s just the two of us… you can call me David,” he said quietly, meeting Julia’s eyes as his ice blue gaze locked on her. 

She was quiet for a long moment, and David wondered if he had overstepped his bounds. If his blunder would cause her to decide to go on to bed without sharing a midnight meal with him, and if they would never speak of this again. 

“Alright,” she finally said, breaking the painfully long silent spell that had settled between them. “David,” she added at the last minute, as if she were contemplating his instructions.

His name felt strange on her tongue, though she couldn’t place why. Maybe it was the forbidden aspect of being on that personal level with her protection officer … or maybe it was the fact she could feel them beginning to toe that all too familiar line again. 

David felt something strangely akin to relief. Maybe he was overthinking this. Julia was beginning to make it abundantly clear that things were changing between them, and he wondered what that meant exactly. 

“May I interest you in a glass of wine,  _ David _ ?” She murmured lowly, repeating the question from earlier and saying his name again as if she were still weighing the unusual feel of it in her mouth. He had always properly been ‘Sergeant Budd.’ Until tonight. 

David glanced at the clock on the wall, debating the choice. It was getting late, but a single glass couldn’t hurt, could it? 

“One glass,” he agreed, bringing his hands to rest on the cool marble of the island countertop. 

Julia nodded, tilting the bottle into the glass before handing it to David, his eyes wide.

“You call that one glass?” He asked, his surprise evident, and Julia chuckled, shrugging. 

“It's in a glass … is it not?” She asked cheekily, and David rolled his eyes slightly.

“I see what you did there, ma’am,” he answered with a laugh as he took a sip of the cool, smooth liquid. 

She looked like she wanted to say something, but she was clearly biting her tongue, buying herself more time as she took a long sip from her wine glass. 

“If I’m going to be calling you David…” she began, pausing for another sip from her glass. “I think that it’s only fair that you call me Julia,” she finally said, the last of her words coming out in a rush. 

David paused with his glass midway to his lips, looking at her over the edge of the wine glass as he nodded slowly. 

“Alright,” he agreed. “I’ll call you Julia then … Julia.” 

They both chuckled nervously, as Julia placed her glass down, spying the unbaked appetizer still sitting on the island. In all of their discussion of names and wine pouring, she had forgotten to place the camembert in the oven. 

Placing the small wooden box inside and setting the timer for 15 minutes, she turned her attention back to David. 

Neither of them spoke for a long moment, each sipping their wine as they leaned against the countertop, both lost in thought. 

“I offered to switch places with Kim for the holiday,” David finally offered without any provocation from Julia. 

“I’m sorry?” She said, her head whipping around to look at him in surprise. 

“Kim has a family to celebrate Christmas with. Mine are on another continent entirely,” he pointed out. “So, I offered to swap shifts with her... I told her I would travel here with you so she could spend the holiday with her children.” 

“Oh, I see,” Julia said slowly. “Well, that was very kind of you.” 

“It wasn’t completely,” he said, suddenly feeling the urgent, inconvenient need to suddenly come clean with his principal. “I might have had some … selfish motive for the switch.” 

“Which was?” Julia asked, arching a brow as she waited for his answer. David looked down at the wooden floor, toeing at a panel with his sneaker as he figured out the right thing to say.

“I wanted to spend more time with you,” he admitted, still not looking up. “To get to know you a little better.” 

“And have you?” she asked, her interest obviously piqued as she watched him avoid her gaze entirely. 

“I think I have,” he said matter-of-factly, turning and giving her a charming smile. One that Julia felt herself returning without a second thought. 

“Thank you for telling me, David…,” she finally said. “I’m glad you’re here.” 

“There might have been ... another reason, as well…” he said trailing off, and Julia narrowed her eyes, waiting for the rest of his confession.

“Yes?” She held her breath.

“I wanted to be alone with you, Julia,” he blurted, wondering why he had ever started this conversation in the first place. But he was here now. And he thought he might as well finish what he had started. “I wanted to see if what I felt between us last night was just a fluke… or if you felt what I did, too.” 

By now, he was standing at Julia’s side, waiting for some sort of response. He knew he had taken a huge risk here. That she could have him dismissed for this. She could turn him into his Craddock, and have him saddled with desk duty for the foreseeable future until he was reassigned. 

The silence between them went on longer as the oven creaked loudly, and they both jumped at the unexpected sound. 

“I see…” Julia finally said, looking down at the floor, fidgeting with the glass in her hands. 

He frowned. 

“If I’ve overstepped any bounds here, Julia, I’m sorry,” he said quickly, the words rushing together into one long sentence. “I just felt the need to be completely honest with you. Forget I said anything. Let’s just go back to pretending nothing ever happened.” 

He turned to go, suddenly feeling embarrassed at how just far he had flung himself over the invisible boundary line between them. He had never done something like that before. He would usually consider himself rather collected around authority figures. But Julia seemed to make him lose sight of that completely. 

“Good night, ma’am,” he said quietly, feeling like he might be sick. What the hell had gotten into him? And now he had to spend the next five days pretending nothing had ever happened? 

Torture.

“David, wait,” Julia said, reaching for his hand without hesitating. Grasping it in her own, she pulled him back to stand in front of her, never releasing his hand as her thumb stroked his palm absentmindedly. 

“I …” she paused, knowing what she said next could make or break this moment in so many ways. “I feel it, too,” she finally breathed, feeling a huge weight lift off of her at her confession. 

David tried not to let his relief visibly show. He didn’t think his feelings were one sided, Julia had openly flirted with him in the past, but he was still glad to hear her say it outloud. 

“I shouldn’t,” she added. “Because you’re my PPO, and everything about this is very much against the rules,” she reminded him. “But I find myself thinking of you often, wondering if you’re thinking about me, too… And about what happened between us last night.”

David nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. 

“I know, Julia,” he agreed. “I shouldn’t want you the way I do… You’re my boss, and that should be enough to stop these thoughts I keep having, but … when I’m with you…” 

His words trailed off, and Julia bit down on the bottom of her lip, chewing at it gently, a sure sign of her nervousness. 

“We are expected to spend quite a lot of time together, David,” she said, placing her wine down on the counter. “But I seem to find … more and more… that you are a very big distraction for me.”

She wasn’t sure what made her throw caution to the wind at that particular moment, but suddenly her mouth was on his, as if they were a life source for one another as her tongue parted his lips quickly. He wraps his arms around her tightly, locking her in place and deepening the kiss as he blindly placed his still half-full wine glass on the counter. 

She moaned against his mouth, and David felt himself go weak in the knees as they explored one another, letting themselves remember just how good they had been together the night before as things progressed quickly.

His hand snuck under her pajama top as he kissed her, his fingers splaying out across the smooth skin of her stomach that was warm to the touch. Travelling upward, he felt goosebumps break out across her skin as his thumb brushed against her bare breast. 

His earlier inclination had been correct about a bra, he thought in the back of his head. But the thought was gone just as quickly as she nipped at his bottom lip, taking it between her teeth and biting down slightly as David groaned against her lips. 

He pulled away, staring down at her and taking in the desire in her eyes and her swollen lips, and he sighed. 

“I’ve wanted to do this all day,” he admitted, no longer feeling shy about his desire for her, as she was obviously experiencing similar feelings. Grasping her leg and pulling it up so that she could hook it around his lower half, he leaned forward, placing small kisses against her neck, nuzzling into the soft warm skin there, and smelling her perfume all over again. The scent of the floral spray mixed with the heady scent of her was making David’s head swim, as his large, rough hands came to grasp her hips possessively. 

Stepping back from her, he picked her up, beginning to chuckle as Julia let out a quick squeal of surprise. Shushing her and reminding her they needed to be quiet, he stepped between her parted legs, grinning as he grasped her hips again, pulling her to the edge of the counter so her body was firmly pressed to his. 

His fingers toyed with the hem of her shirt, as he looked up at her, his eyes begging for permission, which she quickly granted with a curt nod of her head. His right hand wasted no time sneaking under the fabric again and returning to the breast he had grazed a few moments earlier. 

Making a more conscious effort to please her, his thumb brushed against a pebbled nipple, feeling it pucker tightly under his touch. 

Julia’s eyes slammed closed at the sensation, her head dropping back in pleasure as her body arched into his hand, silently asking for more. And who was David to deny her what she wanted? Repeating the motion, he watched as she sighed, biting down on her lip, and he resisted the increasingly urgent need to have her then and there on the kitchen counter. 

Back and forth, he stroked his thumb across her breast, his other hand coming down to the small of her back to push her further into his body as she squirmed under his touch. 

“God, David,” she whispered, finally opening her eyes to look at him again, her gaze a darker shade of green than he had seen them before, and he swallowed hard as he removed his hand and she licked her lips before pulling him back into her. 

“I want you so badly,” David admitted, biting down on his bottom lip. 

“Then take me, Sergeant,” she said with a smirk, her eyes hooded with desire. 

“Christ, Julia,” he hissed. “You can’t say things like that unless you want me to undress you right here in this kitchen.”

“Mmmmmm,” she said with a wicked grin, arching a brow. “I like the way you think.”

David felt his cock stiffen at the idea, and looked around, suddenly remembering that Frances could walk into her own kitchen at any point to see him pinning her daughter down while he kissed her on the marble island.

Leaning forward, and breaking him from his train of thought, she grasped the material of his shirt in her fist, pulling him back into her. Taking a step closer, he slid his body against hers, letting her feel how hard he was for the first time. 

Julia hissed at the feel of him brushing against her center, their pajamas bottoms providing too much but also just enough of a barrier. 

Pressing her swollen lips harshly to his, she wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping him in place as she locked her ankles just above David’s ass, trapping him between her legs. 

Pulling away to catch his breath, he pressed open mouthed kisses in a line starting at the base of her ear and moving down her jawline and onto her neck. Julia gasped as he suckled the skin of her collarbone, pushing the fabric of her shirt away from her neck. She could feel his teeth nipping at her skin, and she felt a flash of arousal between her thighs as she thought about that mouth being somewhere else. 

David stepped back to admire his handiwork, and grinned. 

“Don’t look so satisfied with yourself,” Julia murmured, her voice raspier than he had ever heard it, and he shuddered. “I may have to kill you when I get a glimpse at that mark later…” 

“I’ll make it up to you,” David promised with a grin, brushing against her sensitive breasts through the material of her shirt, swallowing hard. 

“David....” she albeit purred, sliding off the counter slowly, testing her trembling legs to see if they would support her. When she seemed satisfied that they would, she leaned back against the counter, looking up at him with a challenge in her eye. 

Placing one hand on each side of her body, pinning her between his trembling cock and the counter, he leaned in, brushing his lips against hers gently in a featherlight kiss, beginning to chuckle when Julia whined, obviously wanting so much more. 

He was just about to suggest they go upstairs when the oven timer went off, making them both jump. They had been so enthralled in one another they had completely forgotten the reason they were in the kitchen in the first place. 

Julia let out a frustrated sigh. There was seriously something in the universe that absolutely did not want them to be together. Every time they had been close to getting what they really wanted, they had been interrupted at the most inopportune times, and Julia huffed under her breath as she moved past David over to the oven, removing the long forgotten snack. 

She took a deep breath, her back still to him, and sighed. While she hated it had happened, the timer had certainly been a wake up call. That they couldn’t have kept doing what they were doing in this kitchen. Not when her mother could walk in at any point. Julia would never hear the end of it, or be able to look her mother in the face again. 

David watched Julia tense as she was lost deep in thought, and he frowned, wondering if they would ever sort this out. They each clearly wanted this, but they were both so in their heads, he wasn’t sure they could ever move past that to make it happen. 

He didn’t want to put Julia in that position on his account. If she wanted him, it would be up to her, he decided. 

Coming up behind her, his hands came to rest on her waist before he leaned forward, careful not to let his cock brush against her backside. 

“I’m … going to go to my room,” he said quietly, leaving his statement open-ended. It was up to her what she decided to do with the information. 

“Goodnight, Julia,” he murmured, pressing his lips to the crown of her head. 

Now that she had given him permission to call her by her first name, it was like he couldn’t stop. And Julia couldn’t help but admit she liked the way it sounded on his lips. 

“Good night, David,” she responded, still feeling baffled by this night. 

Feeling his lips pressed against the top of her head, she smiled slightly, turning and watching him leave the kitchen. She absolutely wanted David, that was no question. But there was so much that could go wrong if that were to happen. 

_ But maybe it could go right, too?  _

Feeling more confused than ever, she dipped a cracker into the cheese before packaging it up again and placing it in the fridge. She wasn’t hungry anymore … at least not in  _ that _ way. She sighed, running a hand through her curls absentmindedly. 

This was hell. 


	3. A Fascinating Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Did you want something, Julia?” He asked quietly, a knowing smile pulling at the corner of his lips as he continued to stare at her, taking in the way her eyes seemed to be traveling the short path between his eyes and his lips. 
> 
> This was turning out to be quite the fascinating game between them.
> 
> “I want you,” she murmured hotly, not letting herself second guess her decision as she stepped forward, pressing her mouth to his. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, and Merry Christmas, friends! I hope everyone has had a good holiday, if you celebrate, and a great day in general, if you don't. 
> 
> I am dropping the last chapter of this fic as it is officially Dec. 26 in the future land of Australia. So HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY (for real) to my Australia Sista. I hope you have the best day, and that a bit of smut helps add to that. 
> 
> That being said, please heed the change in the rating of this story, and read accordingly. 
> 
> Xx.

Julia ran her fingers over the faded and worn out museum ticket that had served as her bookmark the last time she had read this novel. Having moved on to another old favorite book, she looked at the date on the ticket stub, and her eyes widened. That was at least 20 years ago now, and she sighed, her eyes roaming the room. 

This wasn’t the same bedroom she had grown up in, but reminders of her childhood and her young adult life were scattered everywhere throughout the room. Ribbons and trophies from both equestrian and rhetoric competitions lined the walls, just as they had at their family home where she grew up. Walking over to a bookshelf that stood in the corner, she browsed the photos sitting in frames. There was a picture of her with her parents from the day she had graduated from law school; a photo of she and one of her very best childhood friends at a Spice Girl concert, which seemed like a completely different lifetime ago; and a picture of two little fluffy white, mischievous dogs that they had had for most of her life as a child. 

Placing the book she had been reading facedown on the shelf, she couldn’t help but think about how far she had come in the last 10 years. It wasn’t all fun and games, of course. There had been just as many downs as there were ups, but that was a part of living, she supposed. And really, she couldn’t complain. 

If you would have told that girl in any of those photos that she would be the United Kingdom’s Home Secretary one day, serving the country and helping people on a bigger scale than she could have ever imagined, she probably would have laughed in your face.

She also wanted to laugh at the idea that she and her bodyguard had almost just had sex in her mother’s kitchen less than half an hour ago, though her seemingly ever-present desire didn’t seem so funny at the moment. 

Julia bit down on her bottom lip as her mind went to David, who was staying in a room just down the hall. They had gone leaps and bounds over that boundary line again tonight, which they seemed to keep doing, and Julia genuinely wondered what might have happened if they hadn’t been interrupted. 

By the time she had put away the cheese and crackers and decided to turn in for the evening, there was no movement in the house. And there had been no sign of David at all.

She shifted uncomfortably thinking about the way he had pulled her into him and kissed her; his mutual excitement had been particularly  _ hard _ to miss. Growing frustrated at just having to live off of the memories of the last two days, Julia pulled her reading glasses off and placed them on her bedside table. 

She was tired of being denied what she wanted. And she wanted David.

Going over to her door and pulling it open, she peeked her head outside. Julia looked both ways, making sure the hall was empty. It was nearly 1 in the morning now, and the only noise in the house was the grandfather clock ticking away at one end of the hall. 

Moving quickly and quietly, she left her room, pulling the door shut behind her as she ventured down the hall toward where her PPO was staying for the next six days. 

She glanced down the hallway at the closed door to her mother’s bedroom, thinking back to the conversation that they’d had earlier that night as David had excused himself to take a call from his children. 

“ _ Your protection officer is very handsome, Julia,” Frances said, lowering her voice conspiratorially.  _

_ “Oh, mother,” Julia said flatly, rolling her eyes dismissively. She had known this would happen. “Please don’t start.” _

_ Frances leaned in closer to Julia, her brow drawn together.  _

_ “Darling, you’re not getting any younger…” she began, and Julia held up her hand, stopping her in the middle of her sentence.  _

_ “Mother, stop. David is my Principal Protection Officer,” she said with a sigh, reaching up and rubbing her temple. This is why she sometimes dreaded spending time with her mother. Though they had gotten closer over the years, Frances still didn’t mince words.  _

_ “I realize that,” Frances said, still grinning. “But you’ve certainly never had a protection officer who looked like  _ that  _ before,” she pointed out.  _

_ Julia resisted the urge to laugh in front of her mother. To really truly laugh. She had seen what David looked like. She had to stare at him every bloody day, and Frances wasn’t wrong. But she also didn’t need to know that her daughter and David had come awfully close to crossing that line between principal and security officer, and something more, only the night before.  _

_ She would never hear the end of that. _

_ “I’m his boss, nothing can happen between us, you know that,” Julia covered, hoping her face wouldn’t give her away. She felt her cheeks warm as she avoided her mother’s insistent stare.  _

_ “Well, I like him,” Frances said, matter-of-factly. “His accent is lovely … even if it does sound like he’s calling you mum. And he is very charming,” she said with a grin. “I would imagine it’s not difficult to look at him all day. Much better than that Rob Mac-something fellow I met the last time I came to visit you. Always buzzing around like a very persistent insect. And don’t get me started on that terrible man you call your ex-husband.” _

_ “Mother!” Julia hissed, turning to look at her. “You can’t say things like that.” _

_ “Why not?” Frances asked incredulously. _

_ Julia groaned, rubbing her temple again. She thought she could feel the beginning of a Frances Montague-induced headache coming on, the worst kind to be plagued with.  _

_ “David is the head of my protection team, that’s all,” Julia insisted, huffing as she caught Frances’ smirk. She was just about to say something else, when David entered the room again, and she swallowed hard, pasting on a most genuine smile she could manage.  _

_ “What did I miss?” David asked, a wide smile on his face as he looked between the two women.  _

_ “Nothing,” Julia and Frances both said at the same time, causing David’s smile to falter.  _

_ “Now, for Christmas dinner, I’ve roasted a chicken, is that alright with you, David?” Frances asked with a grin, paying her daughter no more attention as she turned back to the handsome Scot as Julia cursed internally.  _

Now, only a few hours later, Julia bit back a chuckle. Her mother had always known her better than she cared to admit, and as she hesitated outside David’s door, she wondered if she should turn back and forget that this had almost ever happened. 

Raising a hand to knock quietly, she paused with her fist in the air before it came into contact with the door. This _ really _ wasn’t a good idea. But thinking back to the way David had kissed her over the last couple of days, and the way that things had almost gone further each time, she was finding it harder and harder to deny herself the pleasure she was sure would come from this. 

She so rarely got to do the things she wanted. 

But, her brain still wasn’t willing to let the notion go that this could easily end very badly. If word got out that she had slept with her PPO, it could ruin her career. And his, too.

_ No one has to know _ , she reasoned, her internal battle raging on. It could be their secret. If she got David out of her system here, and that was that, they would never have to speak of it again… Then again, he might slip up and tell someone. And then it was only a matter of time before it came out publicly… That would never do. 

She was still waffling indecisively and had almost convinced herself to walk away when the door opened, and Julia’s eyes widened as she came face-to-face with the man who had been consuming her thoughts almost non-stop for the last two days. 

David looked surprised to see her, but recovered quickly, offering her a charming smile as he took in her appearance as she stood outside of his door, obviously unsure what to do. 

“Hello,” he said quietly, that lilting Scottish accent disarming her of any rational thought she had been clinging to, as she debated what to do. 

Julia offered him a quirk of her eyebrow and a little nod. 

“Hello again,” she murmured, wondering if she really sounded as breathless as she felt now that she was standing here in front of him. 

David shamelessly let his gaze fall on her body, leisurely looking her up and down, and she felt herself warm all over again under his scrutiny. The two of them stood in silence for a moment, as David waited for her to speak. When she didn’t, he took a step forward, coming closer to her and looking both ways, up and down the hallway. 

“Did you want something, Julia?” He asked quietly, a knowing smile pulling at the corner of his lips as he continued to stare at her, taking in the way her eyes seemed to be traveling the short path between his eyes and his lips. 

This was turning out to be quite the fascinating game between them, but he couldn’t deny that he was ready for more, as well. The days of teasing were starting to catch up to him, and he had actually been on his way to speak to Julia about their …  _ situation _ when he opened his bedroom door and found her on the other side of it. 

Julia glanced back toward her mother’s door at the end of the hall again, before deciding that just this one time, she would let herself give in to what she wanted without overthinking every little detail. It was very uncharacteristic behavior of her, but just this once, she wanted to actually be able to let go of what was expected of her, consequences be damned.

Stepping forward, she grabbed David by the material of his shirt, clutching it between her fingers, just as she had downstairs in the kitchen, as she pushed him backwards into his bedroom as David let out a noise of surprise. Freeing one hand, she closed the door quietly behind her, making sure it had shut all the way before she turned back to face the man who was now staring at her, his blue eyes growing darker with desire as he stared at her. 

“I want you,” she murmured hotly, not letting herself second guess her decision as she stepped forward, pressing her mouth to his. 

It took David a full moment to realize what was truly happening as her lips desperately nipped at his mouth. Her hands were running across his back and down toward his ass as she pulled him closer to her, picking up right where they had left off before they had been interrupted in the kitchen. 

Navigating them backwards, Julia pushed David back onto the bed, climbing on top of him and straddling his waist as her tongue dipped into his mouth, swirling around his own. Stroking her thighs lazily through the material of her pajama pants where they were pinned on each side of his body, David deepened the kiss, feeling her rub her body slowly against his sensually as their mouths toyed together.

Julia let out a breathy huff as David bit back a groan, closing his eyes and losing himself in the moment. One of his hands came up to grasp her waist, squeezing her tightly and pressing her further into him. 

She let out a pitiful moan against his mouth, and David reached for her chin, pulling her closer to him as he shushed her against his lips. They had already been interrupted once, and he didn’t plan on letting it happen again, all because Julia was being too vocal. 

David felt intoxicated by the woman sitting on top of him as she began to grind her hips against his, rolling and shifting herself so that she intentionally brushed against the rapidly growing bulge that was making itself known. Feeling a hand sneak between their bodies, he hissed as she reached down, brushing her palm against him through the thick material of his sweatpants before coming to the edge of his shirt and pushing it upward. 

Breaking the kiss and sliding down his body, she began to place open mouthed kisses against his abdomen, grinning as David grasped her hair, pulling just enough for her to shudder against him. Readjusting herself a moment later so she was sitting just over his thighs, she pulled at the hem of his shirt again, watching as he sat up, and she pulled it over his head, throwing it somewhere behind her. 

They had yet to exchange a word since David had pulled her into the room, and Julia knew it was too late for either of them to turn back. She could feel her own heat pooling between her thighs as she stared down at his obvious state of arousal just in front of her hips. Rocking her body against his slowly again, she watched as David threw his head back onto the pillow, his enjoyment obvious as he panted beneath her, biting down on his lip as his hips bucked into the air beneath her. 

This would be neither gentle or easy, but Julia didn’t seem to think David would have a problem with that as she reached for the edge of her own shirt, pulling it effortlessly off over her head and letting it land on the floor with David’s t-shirt. 

David stared up at her naked chest, remembering the way she had gasped as he had run his thumb over her nipple repeatedly downstairs in the kitchen, causing it to pucker beneath his fingertips. He had wanted nothing more than to capture her perfectly rounded breast in his mouth, sucking on her and teasing her with his tongue until she had cried out, but he hadn’t had the opportunity as the timer on the oven had gone off bringing them both back to reality. 

But now that they were alone, he planned to take full advantage of her most sensitive areas as he leaned forward, his tongue sneaking out to lick the fleshy pink bud before he placed his lips around it, sucking hard against her skin as he continued to tweak her nipple with his tongue. 

Julia gasped at the feel of his mouth on her, and slammed her eyes shut, leaning back into his large, supportive hands that were braced against her back. 

She wanted to cry out, to let David know how good he was making her feel with his mouth and tongue, but she knew she couldn’t. Whimpering helplessly beneath him as she closed her eyes again, she ran her fingers through his hair, brushing her nails against his scalp. 

Pulling away to catch his breath, David placed an open mouthed kiss against the tender skin between her breasts before he turned his attention to her other nipple, taking it in his mouth, and repeating his actions, paying equal homage to both breasts. 

“Do you … have anything?” He breathed between kissing and teasing her body, pulling away only slightly to look up at her with wide, desperate eyes. The thought had crossed his mind when he was packing, but it wasn’t like he entertained a lot of women in his spare time. That would have required an extra trip to the chemists, and he didn’t want to be presumptuous that anything might happen between them. 

“It’s alright,” Julia reassured him quickly. She didn’t feel the need to go into details about the IUD that she had made sure was quickly replaced at the end of her failing marriage. “I’ve got it taken care of,” she reassured him before leaning forward and claiming his lips with her own, kissing him hotly. 

“Thank god,” he murmured against her mouth, a sense of relief washing over him that this wasn’t going to be stopped  _ again _ .

“David,  _ please _ ,” she pleaded quietly against his mouth, her pleasure obvious as she writhed in his arms, both not wanting him to stop and wanting him to just get on with it. Her pleading was pitiful, and under any other circumstances, Julia would hate how whiny she sounded. But all things considered, she really couldn’t have cared less in that moment. 

The pressure of her nails against David’s scalp increased as she rubbed herself against him as she straddled his thighs again, the friction between their bodies almost too much to handle. He returned his attention to her breasts leaving open mouthed kisses all over her chest, feeling the fire growing hotter between them. 

“Please, _what_?” he rasped, finally pulling away and looking up at her with a knowing grin. “What do you want, Julia?” He asked her with a growl, leaning forward and pressing his mouth to her own again, nipping at her lips that were already red and swollen from their kissing. 

“I want you inside me,” she answered, her eyes hooded with desire as David’s brows shot up in surprise at how forward she was being. Then again, Julia Montague was certainly one who was willing to take charge. He knew that first-hand. 

“God, you’re unreal,” he murmured, not believing this gorgeous, sexy woman in front of him was really willing to give into their desires. He had never imagined that the flirting and teasing they had been engaged in for weeks now would have ever led to this. But thank god, or whoever else was up there, that it had. 

Julia grinned proudly, leaning back and truly enjoying the way that David was staring at her made her feel. 

She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this wanted, or this sexy. 

“Take your trousers off, please, Sergeant,” she instructed, leaning back on her heels as she stared down at him expectantly. He pushed his hips up in the air, grinning as Julia watched his every move, her eyes suddenly fixated on his lower half. 

Removing herself completely from his lap, she climbed off the bed, her eyes never leaving his as she undid the tie of her pajama pants and pushed them down her hips, shimmying out of them until they fell into a heap at her feet, leaving her clad in nothing but green lace knickers. 

David swallowed hard as his eyes traveled from her face downward, stopping to stare first at the rather obvious mark he had left on her earlier, just above her clavicle, before his stare moved to her breasts and then traveled down to the last piece of clothing she was still wearing. He had been in the middle of removing his pants as Julia had instructed when she began to undress, and he hadn’t made it very far since. 

“Sergeant, your trousers,” she repeated softly, slowly moving back toward the bed, watching him expectantly. When he didn’t move, challenging her with a smirk and a little shrug, she sighed, her exasperation obvious. Crawling onto the bed on all fours, she reached for the waistband of his sweatpants, pulling them down in one swift motion and finally releasing him, his cock trembling and hard for her. 

She felt her mouth go dry as she stared at David’s form unabashedly for a moment longer than she had meant to, suddenly imagining his hard, muscular body on top of hers as he brought her to the very brink of desire before pushing her over the edge. 

“Julia?” He murmured, the unusual sound of him saying her name breaking her from her trance, and she looked up at him, her cheeks growing hot. 

Leaning forward so she was straddling his body again, David heard her breath hitch when she brushed against his cock, causing her eyes to close in heated pleasure. Grabbing the back of her neck, he kissed her hard, his tongue seeking out hers as it licked past her lips, and against the roof of her mouth before tangling with her own. 

His free hand began to wander, making sure to brush over her left breast, toying with it briefly before it continued its journey downward, cupping her ass and pulling her further into him. Reaching between them, Julia’s hand glided over his hip and circled him quickly, sliding a palm over the hard length of his swollen cock. 

“Enough teasing,” he murmured, his voice raspy and gravelly in a way Julia hadn’t heard before, making her shiver at the tone of it. And its implication made her tingle all over.

Bringing his other hand down, he grabbed at the silk emerald material before pushing it down Julia’s long, shapely legs, leaving them both completely naked and more than ready for one another. David shifted beneath her, the hard planes of his body providing just the friction that Julia wanted and needed between her legs as she rocked into him desperately. 

Julia grasped David’s shoulders as she pushed her hips down onto him, taking him inside her for the first time and she let out a shaky breath. Her eyes slammed shut at the sensation of being filled so completely by him, and David let out a hiss of pleasure at finally being enveloped by her, her walls squeezing him tight. 

With his hands coming to grasp her hips and encouraging her to move, Julia used his shoulders for leverage as she pushed herself up and down again, taking him in deep, and setting her own pace as her eyes locked with his. 

David’s grip tightened around Julia’s hips, his short nails digging into her pale, smooth skin. He watched her move above him, his back pressed against the headboard and his jaw dropped, when he began to move in time with her, his hips pumping at a wild pace beneath her as he rocked into her. 

With David brushing that perfect spot inside her, and bringing his thumb to rub against her clit insistently at the same time, Julia wanted nothing more than to cry out loudly. To scream his name. To do anything to express how much pleasure she was feeling at this exact moment. But she remained quiet, biting down on her lip harshly, wondering if she might draw blood. 

“ _ David _ ,” she whimpered, meeting him thrust for thrust, something in the back of her mind thankfully reminding her that she  _ had _ to be quiet. 

A white hot heat was beginning to build inside her, and she didn’t know how much longer she could stave off her orgasm as he thrusted deeper inside her every time, with her slamming her hips roughly against his in response. She was right on the edge, and David could tell as he grins up at her, knowing how close she is. He can feel her body starting to tremble above him, her walls squeezing him insistently with each thrust he makes inside her body. 

Feeling her tense, and hearing a moan starting low in her throat, David reached out, covering her mouth with his palm, as he continued to rub in circular motions against her sensitive bundle of nerves as he pounded into her, her palms bracing her against his well-defined abs as she rode him. 

She cried out against his hand, the sound muffled as her eyes fluttered closed as her orgasm hit her all at once, blinding and hot. She went rigid, her body shaking against his as he rode with her through it, his cock pulsing inside of her as he followed her over the edge, spilling inside her with a muffled grunt. 

When she’s managed to come down from her high, she leans forward, her forehead resting against him, utterly exhausted and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. 

Her eyes are still closed, and as David reaches up to stroke her chin, she looks down at him with a little smile. 

“That was…” she whispers, trailing off as her voice cracks, and her eyes close again. 

David laughs. 

“Yeah, it was,” he agrees, leaning his head back against the headboard as he exhaled, his eyes closing, too. 

Julia frowned. This wasn’t the type of situation where she could stay and cuddle up with David post-sex. This had been meant to get him out of her system, and let her move on. Not to encourage any sort of feelings or further her physical attraction to him. 

“I should go,” she murmured, shifting against him slowly and sitting up, both of them feeling the connection between the broken as David slipped from her body. 

Getting up from the bed, she felt David’s eyes on her as she redressed, pulling on the same pieces of clothing he had worked so hard to get off of her. As she slipped her pajama pants back on, David got to his feet, beginning to re-dress as well. When she got ready to leave the room, she glanced back at him, surprised to see him walking in the same direction she was. 

Of course he was going to walk her to the door. A gentleman through and through, she thought with a little smile as they paused, both standing in front of the door, not speaking as they stared at one another. 

She thought about launching into a stern message about how this couldn’t happen again, and that they could never pursue anything while he was her PPO, but she cut herself off. 

All of that could wait. Now hardly seemed like the time. 

Instead, she looked up at him, her cheeks still flushed as she suddenly felt rather shy. A shyness that she certainly hadn’t been feeling 15 minutes ago. 

She was still hesitating with her hand practically on the door when David leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers again suddenly and unexpectedly. 

Julia melted into the kiss, feeling her body tremble as his lips came into contact with hers again. Her legs were still weak, and she hoped they would support her long enough to make it back to her room. 

“Good night, Julia,” David said, pecking her lips one final time. 

“Good night, David.”

Finally pulling away to offer a genuine smile, Julia turned the handle and headed into the hallway lost in thought. Hearing the door close behind her, she cursed under her breath as she walked slowly back to her room, replaying the events of the last couple of days.

She couldn’t deny that she was relieved she had given into her desire for David, and the sex had been even better than she imagined. But she didn’t know where that left them now. So they were back to square one. But feeling the soreness settling into her muscles and feeling thoroughly well-sexed , she was finding it hard to care at this particular moment. 

She could save that for tomorrow. 

Julia was a million miles away, thinking about David, when she heard a voice clear their throat behind her, and she whirled around to find her mother staring at her with a knowing look, her arms crossed over her chest. 

Glancing behind them both, she noticed the bathroom door ajar and frowned. 

_ Surely she couldn’t have heard... _

“I am going back to my bed, and I am going to pretend I didn’t see any of this,” Frances said. “And that I wasn’t right all along.”

Julia felt her cheeks flush scarlet at her mother’s insinuation and sighed. Of course she knew.

“Good night, mother,” she said, rolling her eyes as she stopped at her door. “I’ll see you in the morning,” she said flatly.

“Good night,” Frances said before she paused on her way back down the hall. 

“Oh, and Julia?” She asked, turning to face her daughter, who was staring at her rather apprehensively. 

“Yes?” 

“You missed a button, dear” Frances said with a chuckle, nodding her head toward Julia’s shirt buttons with a wide grin. “Good night.”

Julia cursed as she went into her room, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. It was going to be a very, very long Christmas in Cheltenham. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I don't have plans to continue this fic beyond these three chapters at the moment, I AM planning to leave it open-ended for me to revisit in the future in case the inspiration strikes. So, that being said, hang on for A Million Miles to go in the new year. :) 
> 
> Thank you all for reading all of the words I write about these two idiots, and for all the support and feedback you give me. You guys really are the best. 
> 
> Merry Christmas! And a happy new year!


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